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Black Girl/White Girl

By Joyce Carol Oates

(11)

| Hardcover | 9780061125645

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Book Description

Fifteen years ago, in 1975, Genna Hewett-Meade's college roommate died a mysterious, violent, terrible death. Minette Swift had been a fiercely individualistic scholarship student, an assertive—even prickly—personality, and one of the few black girls at an exclusive women's liberal aContinue

Fifteen years ago, in 1975, Genna Hewett-Meade's college roommate died a mysterious, violent, terrible death. Minette Swift had been a fiercely individualistic scholarship student, an assertive—even prickly—personality, and one of the few black girls at an exclusive women's liberal arts college near Philadelphia. By contrast, Genna was a quiet, self-effacing teenager from a privileged upper-class home, self-consciously struggling to make amends for her own elite upbringing. When, partway through their freshman year, Minette suddenly fell victim to an increasing torrent of racist harassment and vicious slurs—from within the apparent safety of their tolerant, "enlightened" campus—Genna felt it her duty to protect her roommate at all costs.

Now, as Genna reconstructs the months, weeks, and hours leading up to Minette's tragic death, she is also forced to confront her own identity within the social framework of that time. Her father was a prominent civil defense lawyer whose radical politics—including defending anti-war terrorists wanted by the FBI—would deeply affect his daughter's outlook on life, and later challenge her deepest beliefs about social obligation in a morally gray world.

Black Girl / White Girl is a searing double portrait of "black" and "white," of race and civil rights in post-Vietnam America, captured by one of the most important literary voices of our time.

Critics

  • Sisters under the skin

    Black Girl/White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates 272pp, Fourth Estate, £17.99 Generva "Genna" Meade, the emotionally bereft 34-year-old narrator of Joyce Carol Oates's new novel, has much to feel guilty about. First, there is the simple fact that she is wh ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

  • Roommates and Strangers

    Joyce Carol Oates has never been shy about peering into the darkest corners of American culture. Her best books — “Blonde,” “Zombie” and “Black Water” — showcase her fascination with violence, her almost vampiric ability to tap into the subconscious ... (read full critics)

    nytimes published on Sat, 18 Sep 2010

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Book Details

  • Rating:
    (11)
    • 5 stars
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  • English Books
  • Hardcover 288 Pages
  • Edition: 1
  • ISBN-10: 0061125644
  • ISBN-13: 9780061125645
  • Publisher: Ecco
  • Pub date: Oct 01, 2006
  • Dimensions: 1548 mm x 1097 mm x 129 mm Just how big is that?
  • Also available as: Paperback and Others
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9780061125645 Hardcover -- $9.99 ebooks.com
$25.95 -- The Book Depository
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